What is the Visceral Section?

WHY A VISCERAL TRAUMA SECTION?

First of all, what is visceral trauma? According to MedicineNet, visceral is referring to the viscera, the internal organs of the body, specifically those within the chest (as the heart or lungs) and abdomen (as the liver, pancreas or intestines). In addition to torso organ injuries, we have chosen to include all non-orthopaedic trauma in the scope of the visceral trauma section. This includes initial work-up of any potentially severely injured patient (including prehospital), as well as intracranial injuries and critical care for the trauma patient. The trauma patient has to be managed as potentially severely injured and with limited information.

Why is there a need for a visceral trauma section in ESTES? Following traumatic brain injury, torso trauma and especially the critically injured patients with ongoing bleeding, represent the major cause of preventable deaths. The surgical landscape is changing rapidly worldwide, with better diagnostic tools and advancements in surgical instruments such as laparoscopic and robotic surgery. This has led to increasing sub-specialization in most surgical fields in Europe. These changes have led to a generation of more super-specialized surgeons with specific expertise in a narrower field of surgery. Adding to these changes, work hour regulations, more non-operative management of blunt trauma, few well developed trauma systems directing severely injured patients to dedicated trauma centers, has led to most surgeons are uncomfortable managing critically ill trauma patients.

The Visceral Trauma Section’s aim is to increase the interest and spread the knowledge to improve the care of the critically injured torso trauma patient, including the whole chain of survival.